


to dance at a summer wedding

by TaFuilLiom



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 03:09:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15621204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaFuilLiom/pseuds/TaFuilLiom
Summary: There is a well known saying about summer weddings: anything can happen.





	to dance at a summer wedding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustJessHere](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJessHere/gifts).



The display was stuck again. 

_ Heavenly Sins _ had undergone some recent renovations, the latest being the new digital jukebox tacked to the wall. The addition was popular; its repertoire included music from various offworld locations, letting patrons enjoy a slice of home even while on Earth. 

However, it seemed that each time Maggie tried to choose a song, it froze. She longed to have the old jukebox back. At least with it, she could give it a swift kick to get it back in gear. 

“Having trouble again?” James asked, appearing beside her. 

“Aren’t I always?” Maggie returned through gritted teeth. 

James reclined against the wall, motioning to the jukebox beside his head. “She’s not so bad, you’ve just got to learn her mysterious ways.”

Maggie rhythmically jabbed a finger onto the song she was trying to request. The screen glitched and suddenly, she had selected a different song entirely. She growled at the unfamiliar guitar riff, throwing in the towel and stalking back towards their booth. 

James’ rumbling laughter followed her as she dropped down into the cushioned leather. Glaring at him until he joined her, she crooked a finger at him. “I’m only being nice to you because you’re getting married in two weeks.”

“Oh, you know I’m your favourite, Maggie,” James said, grinning broadly. 

It was true. Friday night drinks had become ritualistic when she was with Alex. They all met at the bar to unwind and start each weekend on a positive note. When their engagement was called off, James assured Maggie that he didn’t want that friendship to end, even if it meant that he had to meet her separately. Winn seconded that, suggesting that they claim a new bar -   _ Heavenly Sins _ \- as their new haven. 

While James and Maggie had been wary of the name, the bar had become a place for the trio to find sanctuary. Somewhere that she didn’t have to worry about running into Alex. A few weeks in, Maggie happened to recognise a woman at the bar and introduced James to Nadia, a cop she had taken under her wing. The connection was instant. 

When Winn eventually left them to go to the future,  _ Heavenly Sins _ seemed that bit less lively without him. 

Despite the intention behind the new venue, a string of almost-apocalyptic scenarios and awkwardly planned birthdays meant that Maggie had found herself sucked back into Alex’s social life anyway. Initially, it was awful and stunted, but the more time they spent orbiting the rest of their friends, the easier it became. 

Their past relationship was swept under a rug. There was an unspoken vow between them all that it was never really to be mentioned. Yet every time one of them had a little too much to drink, or was introducing their new girlfriend, Maggie could see the memories rearing up in everyone’s mind. Fake smiles and stilted conversations could only save so much face. 

The last two years had been an uphill climb, but it wasn’t as steep anymore. While both of them had dated around, there was no nastiness between them. Maggie wanted the best for Alex,  _ happiness _ for her. 

She wasn’t sure they could ever truly be friends, but what they had was close enough. 

James cleared his throat, bringing her back from her thoughts. “Are you and Melanie wearing-”

Maggie cut to the quick. “Melanie isn’t coming to the wedding.” 

“Oh,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest, “What happened?” 

“It was getting serious and…” Maggie gave a longing look at the jukebox, recalling the song she had wanted to play, “It wasn’t right.” 

James processed the information, digging out his keys and a plastic souvenir. He worried at the metal ring, trying to get the souvenir onto it. “I thought you loved her.”

Maggie took the gadget off of him, prying open the metal ring and working it onto the set of keys. “It wasn’t there.” 

She dropped the keys back in front of him, and he spread out the novelty souvenirs. There was a House of El insignia from Metropolis, a replica dogtag that bore the name of the corps his father had served in, and a faded green shape that resembled the state of California.  

The latest addition was a camera no bigger than a dime. Studying each of them, he said, “Could have fooled me.”

_ Could I? _ Maggie wanted to ask, but just then a number of familiar voices echoed down the steps.   

Kara was instantly recognisable in the shadowy bar, animated as she spun Nadia a tale. The others shuffled after, and Maggie couldn’t help but notice Alex’s quiet form at the back of the bunch.

She got up, offering hellos as the group settled into the booth. 

“All I’m saying,” Kara said, flapping her hands, “Is that it’s a summer wedding.”

“Anything could happen,” Winn agreed, bouncing down into the booth with glee. Maggie smirked. He had only been back from the future for a handful of hours and already his trademark enthusiasm was infectious. 

“I hope nothing happens,” Nadia said, nudging her shoulder against James’ before kissing him on the cheek, “As handsome as he is in the Guardian get-up, I kinda want to avoid any vigilantism on the big day.”

“Though half of your guests are cops, so if something does go wrong, we’re not completely out of our depth,” Maggie said, jutting her hip against the table.

“Too right, Sawyer.” Nadia nodded sharply. 

Maggie saw her opening and pitched. “Now that everyone’s here, first round’s on me. The usual for everyone?” At the nods, she thumped the top of the booth. “Nice-”

“I’ll help,” Alex volunteered, getting up and winding her way towards the bar without waiting for an answer. 

Kara’s joyous mask slipped for a second, but she recovered and launched into a new story about CatCo’s latest incompetent hire. 

Maggie trailed after Alex, propping her elbows on the bar. Behind the counter, there were a dozen neon-embossed posters declaring that cocktails were 2-for-1. After spending her week cooped up in her stifling office, she was almost tempted to go for something icy and fruity. 

_ To really ring in the Californian summertime _ , she thought.  

Alex was twirling a coaster mindlessly, staring ahead at the rows of coloured liquors beneath the  _ Heavenly Sins  _ stamped mirror. The news about her break-up with a security analyst was a couple weeks old, but Maggie hadn’t really seen Alex in that time. 

“I heard about Rebecca,” she said, “You alright?”

Alex started, the coaster toppling over with a wet slap. “Oh, yeah, it’s...” She glanced back at the table. “Where’s Melanie tonight?”

Maggie watched Alex’s fingertip catch the corner of the coaster, swirling it around in a puddle of condensation from previous drinks. “We broke up.”

The coaster stopped. “Oh.” 

“Yeah.”

Alex’s eyes were stormy when they met hers, raising just for a second, before falling back to the coaster. 

“I thought she was good for you.” 

Maggie’s heart clenched at the murmur. “Yeah, she was sweet but…” She shook her head. “It wasn’t there.” 

“I know what you mean,” Alex replied faintly. 

Grace was a dance that they allowed themselves to fall into. Every time one of them got into a relationship, or broke one off, they were gentle with each other. Patient and compassionate, never betraying their history and commitment to wanting to see the other happy. 

And, to her credit, Alex had made an effort with her girlfriends, so Maggie returned the courtesy. Honestly, she had liked some of the women that Alex had dated. But Rebecca had been overbearing and snide, and had taken an immediate dislike to Maggie. Even Kara hadn’t been fond of her, which was a huge red flag that Alex had missed, continuing to date her for seven months.  

Still, Maggie cleared her throat. “I thought Rebecca…”

Amused at the struggling, Alex stopped her with a wave. “Don’t lie. You hated her.”

“I...did.” Maggie winced. “I’m sorry. She just gave me the impression that she didn’t like me.”

Alex made a face, but didn’t reply.

Finally, they were served. Maggie paid for the drinks, and then she and Alex carried them over, looping back only for their own. 

Maggie picked up her beer, grateful for the chill. It was shaping up to be a hot summer, and the bar’s air conditioning was mild at best. “Pool?”

“I’m not staying long,” Alex said, “Rebecca gave me some cold, hard truths. So I’m gonna go home, drink something smokey and try and let the liquor warm them up.” 

Maggie’s lip curled. “Usually I’d agree, but with these temperatures I’d advise you to stick to the cold stuff.”

The turning down of a game of pool made perfect sense. Their games amassed several rounds and usually went on for at least an hour. It struck her how similar this scenario was to that time Alex had bought her drinks in the wake of her break up with...who was she again?

The big romance that had overtaken her life after that woman had seemingly erased her name from Maggie’s mind. Ironic, seeing as she was standing here with Alex now, but not  _ with _ her at all. 

Forty minutes and another round later, Maggie bumped into Alex on her way back from the bathroom. “Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah, I uh-” Alex fixed the collar of her jacket, patting down her hair. “I’m gonna go have that drink, now.”

“Those 2-for-1 summer cocktails can’t tempt you to stay?” Maggie joked. 

“Nope, afraid not.”

Maggie couldn’t help but think that Alex wanted to say something more. Instead, she ducked her head, said goodbye, and left. 

~

As most weddings were, Nadia and James’ big day was beautiful. While Maggie fixed his bowtie at the altar before the ceremony, she realised she had never seen James sweat so much. 

(Although whether that was due to the pressure of the wedding itself or the humidity inside the church, she wasn’t sure). 

A lot of James’ extended family wanted to attend the wedding, so when they asked Maggie if she was okay to sit on Nadia’s side, she agreed straight away. Besides, she had known Nadia longer than she had known James, so it felt fitting. 

She arrived before the Danvers sisters. Ironically, the joke from  _ Heavenly Sins _ had stuck, and they had to rush through a last minute, alien-related emergency in order to make the wedding at all. They came in bickering about whether to go home soon to Midvale for a surprise visit or not, Alex arguing that Kara’s real motivation was not to see Eliza, but to take the annual sister-summer-selfie on the decking. 

They took their seats directly across from Maggie, who nodded her hello. Alex scooted to the end of her pew, frowning over. “You aren’t sitting on our side?”

“Afraid not, I’m stuck on the cop side,” Maggie replied, leaning a little into the aisle.  

“Hi Maggie!” Kara said, popping out behind Alex, “Oh, your dress is beautiful!”

She smiled her thanks, heat rising in her cheeks as Alex’s gaze skittered down her body. 

The ceremony went off without any stumbles. During the couples’ vows, Maggie let herself peek over at Alex, who was rubbing her thumb over where her engagement ring used to be. She wasn’t a wishful thinker, and didn’t allow herself to dwell on what was probably just a tic; a motion done without real thought. 

It had been two years, after all.  

Outside the church, James made the same joke about wedding photography so many times, Nadia threatened to rip up their certificate, still wet with ink. Maggie stole away into the shade, speaking to some of her colleagues while the newlyweds posed in the rose garden. Mostly, she was content to watch the bride battling with bees around her flowers, occasionally stealing glimpses of Alex. 

Throughout the meal and the speeches, she found herself doing the same thing. The booming, slurred voice of Nadia’s lieutenant boasted about how he was going to take his wife down to the waterfront after the first dance and have sex with her on the beach, because what else was there to do on a hot summer’s night after a wedding?

While the entire table cringed, Maggie distracted herself by continuing to peer over at the adjacent table. Once, Alex caught her, and she ripped a napkin with the force of her embarrassment.  

Later, more mellow, she sipped her champagne and watched Alex and Winn dancing to a cheesy pop classic. She knew it was irrational, but all day, old feelings had been dredged up. She had tried to be Alex’s friend for two years, for the sake of everyone around them, and it had mostly worked. And yet today, somehow that old longing stirred under her breastbone.

She wanted to know if it was caused by the atmosphere of a wedding, or if that was just an excuse to ignore the fact she still had feelings for Alex. 

She jumped as Kara pulled up a chair and sat beside her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Maggie smirked at the flushed cheeks and glimmering eyes. “Having a good time?”

“Yeah! Weddings are always fun,” Kara breezed, slumping back. 

For a while, they watched the dancefloor. It was long enough for Maggie to notice Kara glancing at her, pretending to play with the purple bracelet around her wrist. The younger Danvers sister had joined her with more of an agenda than just resting her dancing feet. 

Finally, Kara attempted to be casual as she broke the silence, “Have you talked to Alex?”

“Uh, today?” At Kara’s nod, she said, “Sure.”

“No, like,  _ really _ talked?”

Maggie frowned. “No, not really. A few comments here and there, why?”

“I think she was a little down about not being here with Rebecca.”

The ripped napkin was discarded by Maggie’s empty dinner plate, and she grabbed at it. “Oh.”

Kara scurried closer. “No, I didn’t-”

“No, it’s fine-”

Maggie abandoned the napkin and reached for her drink, sipping at it to wet her suddenly dry throat. Kara went back to playing with the bracelet around her wrist. 

“Can I ask a question?" she tried.

Winn spun Alex around, and she threw her head back with laughter. The coloured lights painted the joy on her face, and Maggie’s stomach fluttered. “Sure.”

Kara chewed her lip. “I mean, you don’t have to answer but it’s a wedding and it…”

“Gets you thinking?”

Winn suggested something that had Alex shaking her head and holding out a finger, but both of them were wearing huge, goofy grins. 

"Do...do you still love Alex?"

“Of course,” Maggie said immediately, not tearing her eyes away from her ex, “I love you all.”

Kara raised an eyebrow, hearing the cop out, and Maggie bowed her head with a sad smile. “Alex was- is- was the love of my life.” 

On the dancefloor, Alex laughed as Winn twirled dramatically, and she sighed. “One day, I'll watch her marry the love of hers. And I'll be happy because she's happy."

At that moment, Alex happened to glance in their direction, and through the gyrating crowd of cops and CatCo employees, she spotted them watching her. With a few words to Winn, she started to nudge her way over. 

“Maybe you should ask her to dance?” 

“For old time’s sake?” Maggie replied, confused at the suggestion. 

“It’s a summer wedding. Anything can happen,” Kara said, as if it was as simple as that.

Alex reached them, crossing her arms. “What are you two talking about?”

“You, obviously,” Kara replied. Alex narrowed her eyes as her sister stood and raised up on her tiptoes like a meerkat. “Oh, look, Nadia’s calling me over!” 

She flitted off into the crowd, leaving Alex glaring in her wake. Maggie played with her champagne as Alex rounded the table and took Kara’s vacated seat.  

“How come you’re here at the sad singles table?” Maggie asked. 

“Because I’m a sad single.” 

Maggie spotted a woman lingering at the edge of the dancefloor, recognising her as the same redhead who had been chasing Alex all night. “Karen from Narcotics seems into you.” 

Alex grimaced, looking away. “We made out at Nadia’s birthday last year. It’s always felt kinda weird since.” 

If Maggie was happy to hear that, she hoped it didn’t show too openly. 

Fed up of sitting watching everyone else dancing the night away, and thinking about what Kara said, Maggie looked over at Alex, who was checking her phone. 

“Do you wanna dance?” she asked, “With me, I mean.”

Alex’s head snapped up in surprise. “Uh, yeah, okay.”

They found a spot near a tall, deafening speaker, and while initially it was a little awkward, the atmosphere around them let them relax. Soon, they were dancing and singing along with everyone else. 

Swept up in the dance track, they didn’t realise the upbeat number pushed them into the centre, so that when a tamer song began they were locked in a ring of slow-shuffling couples. 

Alex looked down through her lashes in that coy way that made Maggie’s heart rate skyrocket, and when a hand curled around her hip in question, she accepted the embrace. They gravitated together to the sluggish pounding of drums, swaying to the singer’s mournful tone.  

They danced once again like they had dozens of times in Maggie’s kitchen in those early days of their relationship. She had kept her speaker on the windowsill above the sink so that she could listen to music as she cooked, and it was there that she had slow-danced with Alex, who was always excited to have Maggie in her arms.

As the song drew to a close, tension ratcheted up Alex’s spine, and Maggie whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Alex swallowed, her lips to Maggie’s temple. “I hate this.”

Maggie stiffened, prepared to step right back out of the embrace. “Oh-”

“I hate that I’m still in love with you.”

The confession was a rush of air at her hairline, and Maggie’s eyes widened over Alex’s shoulder. She scanned the couples around them for any reaction, as if they would have heard. The song faded away into a moment of quiet. 

“ _ Oh _ .”

It had been two years. They had tried to be civil, to be friends even. But still- 

Then, as if it was cued, the falling notes of  _ All Through the Night _ began to play. Maggie unconsciously tightened her hold on the agent’s waist, terrified about pulling back to see Alex’s expression. Terrified at what she would find. 

The last time they had heard this song together, they had been dancing, and then kissing, and then…

And then they were saying goodbye.  

They stuck it out until the end of the song, and then departed from each other like strangers, as if their dance had been nothing more than a formality at an old ball. 

For another hour, they traded heated looks across the room. The more champagne she drank, the cloudier the warnings in her head became. Paired with the hazy summer heat, she knew they were headed in one direction only. 

Finally, Maggie held Alex’s eye, and then ducked out of the reception and into a dark hotel corridor. She made it to the front desk of the hotel before she allowed herself to look back. Alex was slipping through the doors, intentions clear as she followed Maggie up the corridor. 

“Were you at the wedding?” the receptionist asked, typing on her keyboard, “I love summer weddings. Although they can get stuffy, I suppose.”

Maggie tried not to show her impatience or snatch the keycard out of the receptionist’s hand after she rented a room, and joined Alex by the elevators. They stood side by side, watching the numbers tick down to them. Maggie tapped the room card on the back of her hand. 

“Which floor?” Alex asked.

“Seven.”

The elevator pinged and slid open in front of them, Maggie stepped in first. She faced Alex, and waited for the inevitable  _ This is a bad idea, right? _

But Alex just hummed, following her in, “Nice view of the waterfront from that height.”

Maggie clicked the  _ 7 _ on the elevator’s keypad. 

“Honestly, I’m not gonna be looking at the view for a while.”

~

Maggie woke up to the bang of a door shutting outside, and slap of flipflops going up the carpeted hotel corridor. She took a deep breath and tried to get her bearings. Rolling onto her back, she was momentarily stunned at the sight of Alex propped up beside her, scrolling through her phone. 

“Morning,” she said, not looking away from the screen. 

“Morning,” Maggie rasped, stretching her arms high and then letting them drop to the duvet, “You still have battery?”

“The perks of working for the DEO.” Her phone vibrated, and as she read the text her forehead crinkled. “Oh God. Kara thinks I left last night with Karen.”

Maggie chuckled, rubbing her eyes. She wondered if Kara would think the truth was better or worse than that. “What are you gonna tell her?”

Alex’s thumbs hovered over the screen, but she eventually locked it and put it on the floor, presumably where she retrieved it from her purse. “I’ll deal with it later.”

Maggie cringed, knowing the subtext. There was something she needed to deal with now. “As far as wedding hook ups go…”

Alex wiggled down into the bed, picking at the flowery bedsheets. “Summer weddings...”

“Anything can happen.”

They lapsed into silence, listening to a woman outside reassure her children that they were indeed going for breakfast right that minute, and they could stop pestering her about it.

Staring into soft, open brown eyes, she asked, “Did you mean it last night?”

Alex motioned between them. “When we, um?”

Regardless of the severity of the situation, Maggie held back a grin. A lot of things were said between the sheets the night before. Words breathed into heated skin, thought to be lost between gasps and pleas, but clearly not quite lost entirely. 

“No, before that. When we danced.”

“Oh,” Alex said, looking away, “Yeah, I meant it.”

Maggie had slept with exes before, usually when the alcohol and loneliness was just kicking in. She was no stranger to a booty call, or to getting back together to have a second swan song with ex girlfriends. There was something less bitter for her when she realised that if it didn’t work the second time around then it truly wasn’t meant to be. 

And with Alex, the thought had crossed her mind dozens of times when they called it quits. The temptation had only increased when they started hanging out in the same social circle again. 

“We never gave it another shot,” she said.

“Because we didn’t split up over money, or how to load the dishwasher, or working too late,” Alex explained, “We split up over something big.” 

“It was big.” Maggie held Alex’s gaze, and then reached for her hand, entwining their fingers. “Any of those women you dated in the past two years, could you have had a kid with them?”

Alex’s mouth twitched. “I’m not talking about kids.” 

“Then what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the future.”

Maggie didn’t know what to say to that except, “Why did you say you hated it?”

“You mean still being in love with you?”

Swallowing, Maggie nodded. Alex sucked in a breath, and let it out in a long exhale, as if cleansing herself before she began. “No relationship has worked after you because they weren’t you. I’ve just had to accept that.” 

Pressing the heel of her palm against her forehead, Maggie wanted to request that they pretend to sleep, only to wake up and start this conversation over again. She felt already it had become unbalanced, like they were trying to juggle multiple things at once.

But being heavy from the starting gun was kind of their thing.

“We split up over something big,” Maggie echoed, “Our future? Cause I’m pretty sure I remember it differently...”

Alex rubbed her thumb against Maggie’s, staring down between them. It was calm like this, laying side by side and holding hands, as if the distance between them being lovers and being apart had been bridged into no time at all; as if this was their bed again, and not a hotel room after what more or less was staged as a one night stand.   

“It wasn’t kids, full stop,” Alex replied, “It was more like...a few years down the line, I saw us getting a nice house, maybe even owning a car together, splitting the bills, setting up all the shared domestic things like bank accounts and…” 

She waved her free hand airily. “And yeah, kids were a part of that. But only when we were ready. When we had a house in a good neighbourhood, when we were ready for change in our home and careers.” 

Maggie listened to the explanation, wondering why it didn’t feel stale. This should have been part of the discussions they had when they were engaged. Maybe the panic wouldn’t have set in, maybe the arguments wouldn’t have escalated. 

But with the maturity of Alex’s expression, she suspected that those two years were needed to reflect; something she had also done in the weeks and months following their separation.

“When I imagined kids, I imagined all the bad bits. I still do. It scares me,” Maggie confessed, “Bullying, struggling in school, going through an illness. The arguments that would wound them.” She adjusted the pillow underneath her head, uncomfortable at Alex’s always steady gaze. “We aren’t perfect people, Alex. What we say stays with them.”

Alex stayed silent, and Maggie blew out a breath, chest feeling tight. If there was ever a time to get this cleared once and for all, it was now. “I wasn't willing to go through that and that was my choice. Kids are  _ hard _ , and I wasn’t willing to screw up a kid’s life because I wasn’t perfect.”

“It’s not always hard,” Alex quietly replied, “Not when you’ve got a loving home.”

“Do you want to try again? Could we even try again?” Maggie asked, as if her own heart wasn’t singing the answer, “It’s been two years.”

“I meant it last night,” Alex reminded her, squeezing her hand, “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. But you...do  _ you  _ want this?” 

Maggie chewed the inside of her cheek. “We’ve got a lot of talking to do.”

“We do.”

“Tell me about our future? How you see it now, from here?” 

“I see…” Alex shuffled closer, attention on Maggie’s lips. “I see us going another round.” 

Maggie didn’t fight the smile that grew as the tension dislodged with the excitement of being on the same page. “Uh huh?”

“And then going out for breakfast.”

“Go on…” 

“And texting Kara to tell her I’m not dead, nor am I with Karen.” 

They broke, laughing until it eventually tapered off. 

Alex softened, bringing Maggie’s knuckles to her lips and pressing gentle kisses between the bones. “And then...I see us dating again. I see us...going back to an apartment, maybe yours or maybe mine, and making love again.” 

“Yeah?” Maggie whispered, throat catching at how  _ intimately put  _ the statement was. 

“Yeah.” Alex drew closer still, framing Maggie’s face with her hands. “And we’ll figure out the rest together.”

Maggie’s attention bounced between Alex’s eyes and her lips. “What if we screw up? What if we go wrong?”

“We will. You know we will.” Alex leaned in, kissing Maggie at last. Pulling back, she mumbled, “But we’ll fix it.”

Maggie lazily looped her arms around Alex’s neck. “Where do we start?”

“I mean…” Alex trailed, eyes falling between them as she shifted even closer, “We kinda already did.” 

Maggie kissed her again just to wipe that sly grin off her face, and then pushed them over so that Alex was on her back. Hands slid over her hips, drawing aimless patterns on her lower back, and her heart thudded as the morning sunlight brought out the lighter shades in Alex’s eyes. 

“I will say one thing.”

“What’s that?” Alex murmured.

“Thank God for summer weddings.”


End file.
